Project context

Droughts and water scarcity

Droughts are multifaceted both in their characteristics and
range of impacts; a distinction may be drawn between meteorological
droughts (defined essentially on the basis of rainfall deficiency),
hydrological droughts (where accumulated shortfalls of runoff or
aquifer recharge are of primary importance) and agricultural
droughts (where the availability of soil water during the growing
season is the critical factor). For the purpose of this project, a
drought is defined as “an extended period of below average rainfall
that leads to a reduction in the availability of water”.

Water scarcity can be defined in a
number of ways, but for the purpose of this project, we refer to a
temporary or short-term lack of water for human and/or
environmental use at the local level (e.g. catchments to
households). We are not referring to comparative national or
international water scarcity.

Project outline

The Interdisciplinary
Team will bring together information from drought science and
scenario-modelling (using mathematical models to forecast the
impacts of drought) with stakeholder engagement and narrative
storytelling. While other drought impact studies have focused on
mathematical modelling of drought risk, this project is very
different.

The project spans work on drought and water scarcity in a range
of intersecting ‘domains’ including water supply, health, business,
agriculture/horticulture, built environment, extractive industries
and ecosystem services, within seven case-study catchments. Through
a storytelling approach, scientists will exchange cutting edge
science with different stakeholders in water resource management,
and these stakeholders will, in turn, exchange their local
knowledge and information about drought and its impacts on their
activities.

Stakeholders

Stakeholders
include those in: construction; gardeners and allotment holders;
small and large businesses; local authorities; emergency planners;
recreational water users; biodiversity managers; public health
professionals – both physical and mental health; and local
communities/public.

Study of drought impacts will take place at
different scales - from small plot experiments to local catchment
level. Citizen science, involves active citizen participation in
the research process, and stakeholder engagement with drought
experiments in urban and rural areas, which will be used to
stimulate drought risk conversations and narratives.